Homeless man gets life term for rape, murder of Pardeep Kaur in west London

Vadims Ruskuls, a homeless man convicted of the sexual assault and murder of Pardeep Kaur, a hotel housekeeper, has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years.

Ruskuls, a 25-year-old Latvian national, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and will serve a minimum of 30 years’ for the murder of 30-year-old Pardeep. Ruskuls was convicted on Tuesday at the Old Bailey in London following a week-long trial.

Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson, from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said, "This has been a truly shocking and horrendous case and Ruskuls has proved himself to be a violent and dangerous rapist and murderer. Ruskuls now faces a significant period behind bars, and I hope that this verdict allows Pardeep's family to grieve and eventually come to terms with what has happened to this loving wife and mother."

The crime occurred on October 17, 2016, at around 6 am when mother of one Pardeep began the 40-minute walk to the Sheraton Skyline Hotel in Harlington, where she worked six days a week as a housekeeper. Her six-year-old daughter lives with her grandparents in India.

When she hadn't returned home at around 8 pm that evening, Pardeep's husband informed the police and a missing person’s investigation began.

New Scotland Yard headquarters. Photo courtesy: Twitter

Officers examined Pardeep's phone data and studied CCTV footage of the area and retraced Pardeep's journey to work and she was caught on camera in Bedwell Gardens walking towards the ramp up to Harlington High Street. The investigation was taken over by the Homicide and Major Crime Command and the team leading the search discovered Pardeep's body concealed beneath a sleeping bag covered with branches underneath the Harlington High Street flyover.

Officers re-examined the CCTV footage and spotted a man dragging a body along the walkway and back towards Bedwell Gardens in the direction of the woodland, where Pardeep's body was eventually found.

Police received a call about a man, later identified as Ruskuls, acting suspiciously in the area of Colbrook Avenue. He was barefoot and had recent scratch marks on his face. He was identified as the attacker on the CCTV footage of the attack and arrested on suspicion of murder. He was charged on November 3, 2016 and was also further charged with preventing the victim’s lawful burial.

Ruskuls' DNA matched samples of several items of Pardeep's clothing, as well as a black sock found nearby in the undergrowth.

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Tushaar Kuthiala – Associate Editor

Tushaar has five years experience as a journalist in founding two start-up newspapers. He worked as a special correspondent based in New Delhi with Daily World, an international media organisation. He enjoys reading and writing fiction in his spare time.